RE: [RC] Switching from green grass to hay before a ride - Joann
-----Original Message-----
I've been
feeding Bermuda grass hay free choice, and a flake of alfalfa daily to my
horses. Recently my vet said Bermuda grass hay has fallen out of favor
with the vets at the Murrieta Equine Clinic as they have seen too many
impactions from it. Jazena
We have always fed only Bermuda and
never ever had any problems with it at all!
The summers of Arizona are like the dead of winter up north but
with extreme heat instead of extreme
cold, so most horses aren’t much more than yard ornaments down here from June until
late September. We only feed them each about 3-4 flakes Bermuda a day and they are looking REAL GOOD (to a
mountain lion). They are in need of exercise but when the temps are in the 100
teens- sorry- it just aint gonna happen. Lol. It’s even dangerous to exercise
in that kind of weather. The best I can do is free lunge them about 20 minutes
in the early morningif it isn’t already
too hot and sticky even than. Once a week I make them a bran/flax seed mash - I
am told it helps flush out the sand. The flax makes a shiny coat too. I only use
that expensive sand stuff maybe twice a year because we don’t feed them off the
ground anyway. And they don’t pick up dirt or sand from grazing because here in
the desert there is nothing to graze. Most horses around here live on dirt and
sand (Cept the lucky ones in Scottsdale who get fresh wood shavings in their air
conditioned stalls and green pastures that are watered daily out of the “endless supply” of water under the once
flowing salt river.- I think that’s their source anyway))J
In the winter we feed bermuda free choice and they go through
about 2 and a half bales or so a
week compared to 2 bales a week we feed them in the summer. When it’s especially cold out ( when the
hoses freeze at night) I add a pound of grain (each) and a flake of alfalfa or
mixed as a treat 3-4 times a week. I will have to change their diet a little this
winter though because I will be working them a lot more than the past winters. I will likely be on here asking for
advice about grain and flax seed etc… If I still have questions after reading the archives. J
I have a friend near Phoenix who lives
close enough to a supplier so he feeds his horses Timothy because he was told
it has higher nutritional value
but we can’t afford to drive the extra 100 miles so we settle with Bermuda.
Most people in our area feed straight Alfalfa all the time
just because it’s a dollar a bale cheaper! And most of these folks only trail
ride occasionally. I don’t know from experience but from what I have read that
isn’t a good thing – especially for idle horses but oh well. If it really is a bad
thing they will learn the hard way I guess. I have been told Alfalfa is too
rich and a big no no especially with young ones. Just a handful of others around
here have working ranch horses.
PRICES;
Until a month ago we only
had one feed store in town unless you wanted to drive another 50 miles away. They
WERE charging about $9.-$10.50 a bale for alfalfa and mix and $11. a bale for bermuda
when they didn’t have competition.Now since a new feed store opened a month ago they came down to $6.99
to $8.00 a bale! The new feed
store is getting all the business now because everyone is so P O’ d about being
ripped off all those years. The old feed store was price gouging. Their
standards are higher for quality as well. They will refuse an entire truck load
of hay if the quality doesn’t meet their standards.
Anyway-
Bermuda Hay has been fine for us but perhaps the quality also depends on the source
and what cutting it’s from. I was told to avoid stocking up on the “first
cutting” because it is very rich and that it’s better for dairy cows. Anyone
know more facts on that?
